Write greeting-card prose and verse for Blue Mountain Arts
Rank #202 · Tier C · Priority score 42/100 · Category: Content & media
Sell short personal prose or non-rhyming poems to Blue Mountain Arts for $300 each for card and product rights.
Scores
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Payment probability (6 months) | 2/10 |
| Automation after setup | 1/10 |
| Setup effort (1 = trivial) | 1/10 |
| Ongoing effort (1 = none) | 2/10 |
| Income potential | 2/10 |
| AI leverage | 1/10 |
| Legal in reference countries | 100% |
| Platform pays out in reference countries | 100% |
| Capital required | $0 |
| Time to first dollar | 60–365 d |
| Typical monthly income (low / median / high) | $0 / $0 / $300 |
Realistic expectations
Most people who try this earn around $0–$0 per month in the first year; the high figure of $300 is a ceiling for a focused solo operator, not a typical outcome. The chance of receiving at least one real payout within six months is rated 2/10. Expect the first payment after 60–365 d.
How it works
Blue Mountain Arts buys contemporary prose or poems of 50-300 words, written from personal experience, for greeting cards and gift products. You submit by email or mail by seasonal deadlines. Accepted pieces earn $300 for worldwide exclusive card and product rights, or $50 for one-time book use. Rhymed, religious, one-liner and AI-generated or AI-assisted work is refused, and pieces not selected get no reply.
Platforms: Blue Mountain Arts (SPS Studios)
Resources & business plan
What you need to start
| Resource | Amount |
|---|---|
| Time to launch | 5 hours |
| One-time cash | $0 |
| Recurring fixed cost | $0 / month |
| Tools | email; word processor |
| Skills | heartfelt non-rhyming prose/poetry from personal experience |
| Equipment | laptop or smartphone |
| Accounts | email; payment method per publisher (unverified) |
How the money is made (unit economics)
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Unit | per accepted piece |
| Typical price per unit (low / median / high) | $50 / $300 / $300 |
| Direct cost per unit | $0 |
| Platform fee | 0% |
| Gross margin (median case) | 100% |
| Human hours per unit after automation | 20 |
Blue Mountain Arts pays $300 for worldwide exclusive card/product rights or $50 for one-time book use. Hours per unit include unaccepted pieces. Verified on sps.com Nov 2026.
Break-even
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Monthly fixed cost | $0 |
| Units per month to break even | 0 |
| Typical months to break even | 12 |
| Months to recover startup cash | 0 |
No startup cash or fixed cost, so break-even = first payment received. Unselected pieces get no reply, and acceptances are rare; one sale per year is a good outcome.
Market conditions (Nov 2026)
| Factor | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Demand trend | declining |
| Competition | high |
| Effect of AI | neutral |
| Price pressure | stable |
| Chance of real net profit within 12 months (≥ $100/month where the plan can pay that much) | 1% |
| Typical net profit at month 12 (low / median / high) | $0 / $0 / $300 |
A tiny, single-buyer market; AI-generated or assisted work is refused. Even a successful contributor sells a handful of pieces per year, so this is a one-off payout rather than monthly income.
Pricing strategy
Fixed rate set by the publisher; submit seasonally ahead of deadlines.
Path to profit
- Month 0: write and submit 5-10 pieces (cost $0)
- Month 1-12: submit seasonally; possible single $300 acceptance
Business-plan sources:
Payout path
- Methods: unverified (guidelines do not state the payment method)
- Minimum payout: $300 per accepted piece
- Frequency: per acceptance
- Typical delay: 60 days
- Notes: $300 (card/product rights) and $50 (one-time book use) re-verified Nov 2026; payment method and timing are not stated ('publication procedures will be explained... prior to publishing'). Reply within 8 weeks only if selected.
Full cycle (setup → earn → bank account)
- Write
- Submit by deadline
- Wait for reply
- Accept
- Payment
What can be automated
- Track submissions and seasonal deadlines
Unavoidable manual steps
- Write each piece personally
- Submit
Legality & compliance
Writing and selling original text is legal in all reference countries; royalties are taxable.
- Compliance requirements: no AI-generated/assisted text; exclusive rights grant
- Platform availability: Submissions accepted from outside the US by email or online form, English only.
Risks
- Low acceptance
- No feedback
- Small market
Evidence that people get paid
Official guidelines state $300 per piece and seasonal deadlines.
Sources
Tags: per-piece, human-only
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